The Effect of Female Iridescence on Courtship Behaviors of Male Poecilia reticulata

Abstract

The mating choices of male Poecilia reticulata is an important aspect of research at the Center for the Study of Sexual Selection in Fishes. The goal of our investigation is to study how iridescence impacts the sexual selection of male guppies. For example, iridescence, sparkle, and other reflective surfaces are known to attract the attention of fish, especially in the forms of fishing lures. We tested a guppy’s preferences between two models of the same size and color (black), with our first model being true black and our second model being sparkly black. We hypothesized that male guppies would be more attracted to the sparkly black model. Understanding the effect of iridescence in mating selection increases our overall understanding of mate choices in guppies.